Connector

ABSTRACT

Provided is a connector including: a body forming component into which an upper contact group and a lower contact group are press-fitted forward in a fitting direction; and an upper contact insert component formed integrally with the upper contact group through insert molding. The upper contact insert component is arranged behind the lower contact group.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a connector configured to electrically connectone connection object, which is a flat-plate-like signal transmissionmedium, to another connection object, and more particularly, to aconnector including a plurality of contacts arranged on each of twoparallel planes.

BACKGROUND ART

As a connector of this type, for example, a universal serial bus (USB)standard connector and a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI)(trademark) standard connector have been known. The related-artconnectors of this type are disclosed in, for example, Patent Document1.

In this specification, directions relating to a connector are defined asfollows. A direction of removing a mating connector, which is fitted inadvance to a subject connector from the subject connector, is indicatedby D1. A moving direction of the mating connector toward the subjectconnector when the mating connector is to be fitted to the subjectconnector is indicated by D2, which is reverse to D1. A direction ofmounting the subject connector to a board is indicated by D3. Adirection reverse to the direction of D3 is indicated by D4. When D1,D2, D3, and D4 indicate forward, rearward, upward, and downwarddirections from the connector, respectively, a leftward direction of theconnector is indicated by D5, and a rightward direction of the connectoris indicated by D6. With regard to the directions relating to theconnector, FIG. 1 and the like are to be referred.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, a connector 300 disclosed in Patent Document1 includes a shell 301, a body forming component (referred to as“connector housing” in Patent Document 1) 302, a lower contact group303, and an upper contact group 304 (the contact groups being referredto as “terminals” in Patent Document 1). The body forming component 302includes a terminal support 306 horizontally protruding from a base 305.A plurality of terminal insertion holes 307 are formed in a jointportion of an upper surface of the terminal support 306 so as to passthrough the base 305 and extend along the upper surface of the terminalsupport 306. Contacts of the upper contact group 304 are press-fittedinto the terminal insertion holes 307 and arranged in parallel to eachother at predetermined pitches on the upper surface (surface on thedirection D3 side) of the terminal support 306. Similarly, a pluralityof terminal insertion holes 308 (not shown) are formed in a jointportion of a lower surface (surface on the direction D4 side) (notshown) of the terminal support 306 so as to pass through the base 305and extend along the terminal support 306. Contacts of the lower contactgroup 303 are press-fitted into the terminal insertion holes 308 andarranged in parallel to each other at predetermined pitches an the lowersurface of the terminal support 306. As described above, in theconnector 300 disclosed in Patent Document 1, the contacts of the lowercontact group 303 and the contacts of the upper contact group 304 areretained at predetermined positions in the connector 300 by beingpress-fitted into the terminal insertion holes 307 and 308.

In addition, in Patent Document 1, as illustrated in FIG. 17, a lockingprojecting portion 312 is formed on a portion of each of the contacts,which are retained in the terminal insertion holes 307 and 308 when thecontacts of the lower contact group 303 and the contacts of the uppercontact group 304 are press-fitted into the body forming component 302.That is, the locking projecting portion 312 is formed on a lower surfaceof a press-fitted portion 311 of each of the contacts. With thisconfiguration, the connector 300 increases a retaining force appliedbetween the press-fitted portion 311 and a lower wall surface among fourwall surfaces surrounding upper, lower, right, and left sides of each ofthe terminal insertion holes 307 and 308.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 18, protruding portions 313 are formedon both side surfaces of the press-fitted portion 311. With thisconfiguration, the connector 300 increases a retaining force appliedbetween each of left and right wall surfaces 314 and 315 of eachterminal insertion hole 307 and each side surface of the contact of thelower contact group 303 or the upper contact group 304.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS Patent Document

Patent Document 1: JP-A-2011-113801, paragraphs 0017 to 0023, paragraphs0028 to 0030, FIG. 2, and FIG. 8

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

In the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, the locking projectingportions 312 and the protruding portions 313 are formed to increase theretaining force. However, the retaining force for each contact isincreased individually. Accordingly, in the connector disclosed inPatent Document 1, the retaining forces for the individual contacts mayvary.

In general, when the connector is to be fitted to the mating connector,contacts of the mating connector apply forces of pushing the contacts ofthe connector in the direction D2. Even when it is assumed that thecontacts of the mating connector evenly apply forces to the contacts ofthe connector, the retaining forces for the respective contacts may varyin the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1. Thus, there is a fearin that a contact retained with a weak force may be moved in thedirection D2 from an originally retained position. In addition, there isa fear in that the contact is not only moved but also buckled as aresult of movement, and there is also a fear in that the contact slipsout of the body forming component. In actuality, the forces applied bythe contacts of the mating connector to the contacts of the connectorare not even and may vary. Accordingly, there is a case where a strongpushing force is applied to a contact retained with a weak force. Insuch a case, the influence of the pushing force applied from thecontacts of the mating connector during fitting may become moresignificant.

This invention has been made in view of the above-mentionedcircumstances, and has an object to increase retaining forces ofretaining a plurality of contacts.

Means to Solve the Problem

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, this invention provides,as one aspect, a connector, comprising an upper contact group comprisinga plurality of contacts; a lower contact group comprising a plurality ofcontacts; a body forming component into which the upper contact groupand the lower contact group are press-fitted; and an upper contactinsert component including a dielectric material and being formedintegrally with the upper contact group through insert molding, each ofthe plurality of contacts being arranged in parallel to a fittingdirection of fitting the connector to a mating connector, and comprisinga contact portion that is to be brought into contact with one ofcontacts of the mating, connector; a press-fitted portion that extendsfrom the contact portion and is to be press-fitted into the body formingcomponent; a terminal portion that is to be connected to a conductorarranged outside the connector; and a bent portion that is bent betweenthe contact portion and the terminal portion in a direction intersectingthe fitting direction, the each of the plurality of contacts beingpress-fitted into the body forming component in a direction of removingthe mating connector, which is fitted to the connector in advance, fromthe connector, the body forming component supporting the plurality ofcontacts of the lower contact group so as to arrange the contact portionof the each of the plurality of contacts of the lower contact group on afirst plane, and supporting the plurality of contacts of the uppercontact group so as to arrange the contact portion of the each of theplurality of contacts of the upper contact group on a second planedifferent from the first plane, and the upper contact insert componentbeing arranged so as to restrain movement of the lower contact group ina moving direction of the mating connector toward the connector when themating connector and the connector are to be fitted to each other.

As seen from the bent portion of the each of the plurality of contactsof the lower contact group, the upper contact insert component may bearranged on a forward side of the moving direction of the matingconnector toward the connector when the mating connector and theconnector are to be fitted to each other.

The each of the plurality of contacts of the upper contact group maycomprise a leg portion extending in the direction intersecting thefitting direction, and at least a part of the upper contact insertcomponent may occupy a region surrounded by a straight line formed ofthe contact portion, the bent portion, and a straight line formed of theleg portion.

A gap having a preset size may be defined between the upper contactinsert component and the lower contact group.

The body forming component may further comprise a middle plate thatcomprises metal and is formed integrally with the body forming componentthrough insert molding so as to be arranged between the upper contactgroup and the lower contact group.

The connector may further comprise a rear shield including metal and thebody forming component may comprise a fixing portion configured to fixthe rear shield under a state in which the upper contact insertcomponent is arranged between the rear shield and the body formingcomponent.

The connector may further comprise a protrusion formed on one surface ofthe upper contact insert component on the forward side of the movingdirection of the mating connector toward the connector when the matingconnector and the connector are to be fitted to each other so as to comeinto contact with the rear shield.

The connector may further comprise a shell at least a part of which isformed of a conductor, and the shell and the rear shield may be weldedto each other.

Effect of the Invention

According to one aspect of this invention, the plurality of contacts ofthe upper contact group are integrated by the upper contact insertcomponent. Thus, a sum of retaining forces for all of the contacts bearsforces applied to the respective contacts. Further, the upper contactinsert component supports the lower contact group from behind the lowercontact group, thereby preventing the lower contact group from slippingout of the body forming component. Therefore, according to one aspect ofthis invention, the retaining forces for all of the integrated contactsof the upper contact group and the retaining forces for all of thecontacts of the lower contact group supported from behind can beincreased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector 1 according to oneembodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shell 2 of the connector 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a body forming component 6 of theconnector 1, which is formed integrally with a middle plate 5.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the body forming component 6 of theconnector 1 before contacts 50 are press-fitted into the body formingcomponent 6.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view for illustrating a shape of one of thecontacts 50 of the connector 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view for illustrating an upper contact insertcomponent 9 of the connector 1, which is formed integrally with an uppercontact group 8.

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view of the connector 1.

FIG. 8 is a sectional perspective view for illustrating a positionalrelationship in the connector 1 among rear ends 56 of a lower contactgroup 7, the upper contact insert component 9, and a rear shield 10.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view for illustrating mounting of the rearshield 10 in the connector 1.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view for illustrating the connector 1 aftermounting of the rear shield 10.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the connector 1.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the connector 1.

FIG. 13 shows the connector 1 as seen from six sides.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a connector 200 according toa second embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the connector 200.

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of a connector 300 disclosed inPatent Document 1.

FIG. 17 is a partial sectional view of the connector 300.

FIG. 18 is a partial sectional view of the connector 300.

MODES FOR EMBODYING THE INVENTION

A connector 1 according to one embodiment of this invention isdescribed. With reference to FIG. 1, the connector 1 includes a shell 2,ground plates 3 and 4, a middle plate 5, a body forming component 6, alower contact group 7, an upper contact group 8, an upper contact insertcomponent 9, and a rear shield 10.

At least a part of each of the shell 2, the ground plates 3 and 4, themiddle plate 5, and the rear shield 10 is made of a conductor, which istypically metal. For example, the shell 2, the ground plates 3 and 4,the middle plate 5, and the rear shield 10 are entirely made ofstainless steel such as SUS301 or SUS304. Contacts 50 of the lowercontact group 7 and contacts 50 of the upper contact group 8 are made ofa conductor such as metal, for example, a copper alloy. The body formingcomponent 6 and the upper contact insert component 9 are made of aresin. For example, the body forming component 6 is made of a polyamideresin, and the upper contact insert component 9 is made of a liquidcrystal polymer (LCP).

The shell 2 is described with reference to FIG. 2. The shell 2 has atubular shape formed of a hollow quadrangular parallelepiped column withrounded corners, except for a rear end (end on the direction D2 side)thereof. The shell 2 includes a fixing leg portion 21 which is formed ata left rear end (end on the direction D2 side and the direction D5 side)of the shell 2. Similarly, the shell 2 includes a fixing leg portion 22which is formed at a right rear end (end on the direction D2 side andthe direction D6 side) of the shell 2 though the fixing leg portion 22is hidden behind the shell 2 in FIG. 2.

When the connector 1 is to be placed on a board (not shown), a bottomsurface of the shell 2 is brought into contact with the board, anddistal ends of the fixing leg portions 21 and 22 are inserted into holesformed in the board, respectively, and are soldered to the board. Inthis manner, the entire connector 1 is fixed to the board. Further, thedistal ends of the fixing leg portions 21 and 22 are connected togrounding conductors (not shown) formed on the board. In this manner,the entire shell 2 is electrically grounded.

The middle plate 5 and the body forming component 6 are described withreference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. The middle plate 5 and the body formingcomponent 6 are formed integrally with each other through insertmolding.

The body forming component 6 includes a base 31 that is fixed to theboard when the connector 1 is to be placed on the board. A terminalsupport 32 extends from the base 31 forward in a horizontal direction,that is, extends along a plane parallel to the board in the directionD1. A plate support 33 (not shown in FIG. 3), on which the ground plate3 is to be mounted, is formed on a lower surface of a rear portion ofthe terminal support 32. Similarly, a plate support 34, on which theground plate 4 is to be mounted, is formed on an upper surface of therear portion of the terminal support 32. The ground plates 3 and 4 arebrought into contact with the shell 2 inside the shell 2. As describedabove, the shell 2 is grounded, and hence the ground plates 3 and 4 aregrounded through the shell 2. Accordingly, the lower contact group 7 andthe upper contact group 8 are electromagnetically insulated from anoutside of the shell 2 by the shell 2 and the ground plates 3 and 4.

Further, in order to retain the lower contact group 7 and the uppercontact group 8, the body forming component 6 has lower terminalinsertion holes 35, lower terminal retention grooves 36, upper terminalinsertion holes 37, and upper terminal retention grooves 38 formedtherein. The lower terminal insertion holes 35 and the lower terminalretention grooves 36 retain the respective contacts of the lower contactgroup 7 so as to arrange the respective contacts of the lower contactgroup 7 on an imaginary plane P1 (not shown). The upper terminalinsertion holes 37 and the upper terminal retention grooves 38 retainthe respective contacts of the upper contact group 8 so as to arrangethe respective contacts of the upper contact group 8 on an imaginaryplane P2 (not shown). The plane P1 and the plane P2 are parallel to eachother, and are parallel to the board (not shown).

As illustrated in the drawings, the upper terminal insertion holes 37pass through the base 31 from openings (not shown) formed in a rearportion of the body forming component 6, and further pass through aportion of the terminal support 32 below the plate support 34 so as tolinearly continue to the upper terminal retention grooves 38,respectively. The upper terminal insertion holes 37 and the upperterminal retention grooves 38 each have a width slightly smaller than awidth of each of the contacts 50 of the upper contact group 8.Accordingly, the contacts 50 press-fitted into the upper terminalinsertion holes 37 and the upper terminal retention grooves 38 areretained by the body forming component 6. The same holds true for thelower terminal insertion holes 35 and the lower terminal retentiongrooves 36.

The middle plate 5 is exposed from a distal end and both right and leftside surfaces of the terminal support 32. Further, although not shown,the middle plate 5 is bent inside the body forming component 6, and anend of the middle plate 5 is exposed from a lower portion of the base31. The portion exposed from the base 31 is soldered and connected to agrounding conductor of the board when the connector 1 is placed on theboard (not shown). Thus, the middle plate 5 can electromagneticallyinsulate the lower contact group 7 and the upper contact group 8 fromeach other effectively.

In addition, the body forming component 6 includes fixing portions 39and 40 into which the upper contact insert component 9 is fixed. Thefixing portion 39 is formed in a left rear portion of the body formingcomponent 6, that is, in a portion located on the direction D5 side andthe direction D2 side of the body forming component 6. The fixingportion 39 has an opening which is slightly narrower than acorresponding portion (fitting protrusion 61 to be described later) ofthe upper contact insert component 9. The fitting protrusion 61 of theupper contact insert component 9 is press-fitted into the opening,thereby fixing the upper contact insert component 9 to the body formingcomponent 6. Although hidden in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, similarly, the fixingportion 40 is formed in a right rear portion of the body formingcomponent 6, that is, in a portion located on the direction D6 side andthe direction D2 side of the body forming component 6. A fittingprotrusion 62 to be described later is press-fitted into the fixingportion 40.

Twelve contacts 50 forming the lower contact group 7 are retained in thelower terminal insertion holes 35 and the lower terminal retentiongrooves 36 on the same horizontal plane at predetermined pitches so asto be parallel to each other. Further, twelve contacts 50 forming theupper contact group 8 are retained in the body forming component 6 onthe same horizontal plane at predetermined pitches so as to be parallelto each other. The lower contact group 7 includes two kinds of contacts50 different in length. The upper contact group 8 also includes twokinds of contacts 50 different in length. That is, the entire connector1 includes four kinds of contacts 50 different in length. Each of thecontacts of every kind includes a contact portion 51, a press-fittedportion 52, a bent portion 53, a leg portion 54, a terminal portion 55,and a rear end 56 (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 6).

The contacts 50 are described with reference to FIG. 5. One of thecontacts 50 of the lower contact group 7 is illustrated in FIG. 5 as anexample. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the contact portion 51 is arranged inparallel to a fitting direction of the connector 1, that is, directionsincluding the direction D1 and the direction D2. The contact portion 51is a portion to be brought into contact with a contact of a matingconnector when the connector 1 is fitted to the mating connector, andthe contact portion 51 is exposed from the body forming component 6. Thepress-fitted portion 52 is a portion to be press-fitted into andretained in the body forming component 6, and the press-fitted portion52 is arranged in parallel to the fitting direction of the connector 1.The bent portion 53 is bent in a direction intersecting the fittingdirection of the connector 1. The leg portion 54 extends toward theboard in the direction bent at the bent portion 53. In this embodiment,the leg portion 54 is bent from the bent portion 53 vertically downward,that is, is bent in a direction toward the direction D4 side so as tointersect the fitting direction of the connector 1 at a right angle.However, it is not always necessary that the leg portion 54 intersectthe fitting direction of the connector 1 at a right angle. For example,the leg portion 54 may be bent with rearward and downward inclination soas to intersect the fitting direction of the connector 1. The terminalportion 55 is a terminal to be connected to a conductor arranged outsidethe connector 1, for example, a conducting wire of a printed pattern onthe board. Further, the terminal portion 55 is a terminal to beconnected to the conductor, for example, through soldering. The rear end56 is a rear end of a straight portion including the contact portion 51and the press-fitted portion 52 and extending in parallel to the fittingdirection of the connector.

Each of the contacts 50 has a shape of being bent between the contactportion 51 and the terminal portion 55 in a direction intersecting thefitting direction of the connector. In each of the contacts 50 of thelower contact group 7 as illustrated in FIG. 5, a center line of the legportion 54 and a center line of the terminal portion 55 are slightlyshifted to a right side with respect to a center line of the contactportion 51 and a center line of the press-fitted portion 52. Meanwhile,in each of the contacts 50 of the upper contact group 8, a center lineof the leg portion 54 and a center line of the terminal portion 55 areshifted in an opposite direction. That is, the center line of the legportion 54 and the center line of the terminal portion 55 are slightlyshifted to a left side with respect to a center line of the contactportion 51 and a center line of the press-fitted portion 52.

The twelve contacts of the lower contact group 7 and the twelve contactsof the upper contact group 8 are arranged so that the contact portions51 and the press-fitted portions 52 of the contacts of both of the lowercontact group 7 and the upper contact group 8 overlap each other throughintermediation of the terminal support 32. However, the center lines ofthe leg portion 54 and the terminal portion 55 are shifted as describedabove. Thus, even when the contact portions 51 and the press-fittedportions 52 of the contacts overlap each other, the leg portions 54 andthe terminal portions 55 are arranged so as not to overlap each other.In other words, when the connector 1 is seen from the mating connector(not shown), that is, seen in the direction D2, the leg portions 54 andthe terminal portions 55 of the contacts of the upper contact group 8are not hidden behind the leg portions 54 and the terminal portions 55of the contacts of the lower contact group 7, but are visibly arranged(see a front view and a bottom view of FIG. 13).

The lower contact group 7 and the upper contact group 8 have theabove-mentioned arrangement relationship. There is assumed such a casewhere forces of moving the leg portions 54 of the lower contact group 7in the direction D2 are applied by pushing the lower contact group 7 inthe direction D2. At this time, owing to the above-mentioned shiftedarrangement, the leg portions 54 of the contacts of the upper contactgroup 8 do not restrain movement of the leg portions 54 of the contactsof the lower contact group 7 in the direction D2.

However, in the connector 1 according to this embodiment, the uppercontact insert component 9 integrates the contacts of the upper contactgroup 8 with each other, and is arranged on the direction D2 side withrespect to the leg portions 54 of the contacts of the lower contactgroup 7. Accordingly, the contacts of the lower contact group 7 can berestrained from moving in the direction D2.

The contacts 50 are press-fitted into the body forming component 6forward along the fitting direction of the connector 1, that is,press-fitted in the direction D1. A state of each of the contacts 50press-fitted in the body forming component 6 is described with referenceto FIG. 7. Each of the contacts 50 of the lower contact group 7 isretained in the lower terminal retention groove 36 under a state inwhich a lower surface of the contact portion 51, namely, a surface ofthe contact portion 51 on the direction D4 side is exposed. Each of thecontacts 50 of the upper contact group 8 is retained in the upperterminal retention groove 38 under a state in which an upper surface ofthe contact portion 51, namely, a surface of the contact portion 51 onthe direction D3 side is exposed. The press-fitted portion 52 of each ofthe contacts 50 of the lower contact group 7 is received in the lowerterminal insertion hole 35. The press-fitted portion 52 of each of thecontacts 50 of the upper contact group 8 is received in the upperterminal insertion hole 37. The body forming component 6 does notdirectly retain the bent portion 53, the leg portion 54, the terminalportion 55, and the rear end 56 of any one of the contacts 50 of thelower contact group 7 and the upper contact group 8.

However, the upper contact group 8 is formed integrally with the uppercontact insert component 9 through insert molding. Thus, the contacts 50forming the upper contact group 8 are integrated with each other, withthe result that a sum of retaining forces for all of the contacts bearsforces applied to the respective contacts. When the connector is fittedto the mating connector, rearward misalignment of only a part of thecontacts forming the upper contact group 8 is less liable to occur.Consequently, the retaining forces for all of the contacts 50 of theupper contact group 8 can be increased.

With reference to FIG. 6, the upper contact insert component 9 isdescribed. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the fitting, protrusions 61 and 62are respectively formed on both left and right ends of the upper contactinsert component 9, that is, on an end on the direction D5 side and anend on the direction D6 side of the upper contact insert component 9.The fitting protrusion 62 is not illustrated in FIG. 6 because thefitting protrusion 62 is hidden behind the upper contact insertcomponent 9. When the contacts 50 of the upper contact group 8 arepress-fitted into predetermined positions of the body forming component6, the fitting protrusions 61 and 62 are arranged so as to fit into thefixing portion 39 of the body forming component 6.

As described above, in the connector 1, the contacts 50 of the uppercontact group 8 are integrated in advance by the upper contact insertcomponent 9, and are press-fitted into and retained in the body formingcomponent 6. In addition, the upper contact insert component 9 itselfretains the upper contact group 8 by being directly press-fitted intothe body forming component 6. Accordingly, the retaining forces for thecontacts to be applied when the upper contact group 8 is positioned withrespect to the body forming component 6 can be increased.

Further, each of the contacts 50 has the structure in which the straightportion including the contact portion 51 and the press-fitted portion 52is bent at the bent portion 53 substantially at a right angle so as toextend to a straight portion including the leg portion 54. Asillustrated in FIG. 7, the upper contact insert component 9 is formed soas to cover a rear portion of the press-fitted portion 52, the bentportion 53, and the leg portion 54. In this structure, the upper contactinsert component 9 is arranged so that a resin occupies a region definedby a side formed of the contact portion 51 and the press-fitted portion52, a side formed of the leg portion 54, and a contained angle of thetwo sides (bent portion 53). With this structure, even when an excessiveforce is applied to the contact portion 51 toward the rear side of theconnector 1 to misalign the rear end 56 toward the rear side withrespect to a predetermined position, the resin arranged between the twosides resists the force, thereby being capable of preventing deformationof each of the contacts 50. Accordingly, the upper contact group 8 canbe prevented from being buckled into a Z shape.

In addition, when the lower contact group 7 and the upper contact group8 are press-fitted into the predetermined positions of the body formingcomponent 6, the upper contact insert component 9 is arranged on thedirection D2 side of the rear end 56 of each of the contacts 50 of thelower contact group 7.

As described above, the upper contact insert component 9 is arrangedbehind the lower contact group 7 so that a function of a stopper, whichis configured to prevent rearward misalignment of the lower contactgroup 7, can be added to the upper contact insert component 9. Theabove-mentioned function as the stopper is exerted, for example, in acase where, when the mating connector (not shown) is fitted to theconnector 1, the contacts of the mating connector apply the force ofmoving the contacts 50 of the lower contact group 7 toward the rear sideof the connector 1.

As described above, the contacts 50 of the lower contact group 7 arepress-fitted into the lower terminal insertion holes 35 and the lowerterminal retention grooves 36, to thereby be retained in the bodyforming component 6. In a case where, during fitting between theconnector and the mating connector, a force exceeding the retainingforces for the contacts is applied from the mating connector to thelower contact group 7 to move the rear end 56 of each of the contacts 50of the lower contact group 7 to the direction D2 side from thepredetermined position, the rear end 56 comes into contact with theupper contact insert component 9, to thereby prevent the rear end 56from further moving to the direction D2 side.

It is preferred that a slight gap be defined between the rear end 56 andthe upper contact insert component 9. This relates to the order ofpress-fitting the lower contact group 7 and the upper contact group 8into the body forming component 6 during a manufacturing process of theconnector 1.

During the manufacturing process for the connector 1, after the middleplate 5 and the body forming component 6 are formed integrally with eachother through insert molding, the lower contact group 7 is firstpress-fitted into the body forming component 6 to be arranged at thepredetermined position. Then, the distal end of the upper contact group8 is inserted into the opening (not shown) of the rear portion of thebody forming component 6, and the upper contact group 8 is pushed to thedirection D1 side to be arranged at the predetermined position.

Now, there is assumed a case where the rear ends 56 of the lower contactgroup 7 and the upper contact insert component 9 are configured so as tocome into contact with each other. In this case, at a point in time whenthe upper contact insert component 9 is pushed into the predeterminedposition, the upper contact insert component 9 comes into contact withthe rear ends 56 of the lower contact group 7. In view of a positioningerror and the like, movement of the upper contact insert component 9 isnot always completed at the moment when the upper contact insertcomponent 9 comes into contact with the rear ends 56 of the lowercontact group 7. In actuality, the upper contact insert component 9 maybe pushed to the front side of the connector with respect to thepredetermined position, and the rear ends 56 of the lower contact group7 may be arranged on the direction D2 side with respect to thepredetermined position. In those cases, the upper contact insertcomponent 9 may push the lower contact group 7 to the direction D1 side,to thereby misalign the lower contact group 7. In order to preventmisalignment of the lower contact group 7, it is preferred that a gap 81be defined between the rear ends 56 of the lower contact group 7 and theupper contact insert component 9 as illustrated in FIG. 8. A length ofthe gap 81 is, for example, about 50 micrometers.

After the upper contact group 8 is arranged at the predeterminedposition, the ground plates 3 and 4 are mounted. Then, after the bodyforming component 6 into which the lower contact group 7 and the uppercontact group 8 are press-fitted is accommodated in the shell 2, therear shield 10 is fixed on the direction D2 side of the body formingcomponent 6. In this manner, the connector 1 is completed.

With reference to FIG. 9, the rear shield 10 is described. Asillustrated in FIG. 9, press-fitting pieces 91 and 92 are formed on bothleft and right ends of the rear shield 10, respectively. Meanwhile,press-fitting holes 93 and 94 are formed in a back surface of the bodyforming component 6. The press-fitting holes 93 and 94 are configured toretain the rear shield 10 by allowing the press-fitting pieces 91 and 92to be press-fitted into the press-fitting holes 93 and 94, respectively.An opening of the press-fitting hole 93 is slightly smaller than across-section of the press-fitting piece 91, and an opening of thepress-fitting hole 94 is slightly smaller than a cross-section of thepress-fitting piece 92. With this configuration, fixation throughpress-fitting can be performed.

In addition, in the connector 1, besides the press-fitting of thepress-fitting pieces 91 and 92 into the press-fitting holes 93 and 94,the rear shield 10 is fixed through welding of pieces of metal.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, welding pieces 95 and 96 are respectivelyformed at both left and right ends of the rear shield 10 below thepress-fitting pieces 91 and 92. Meanwhile, a gap is defined between aleft end (end on the direction D5 side) of the base 31 of the bodyforming component 6 and the fixing leg portion 21 of the shell 2 andbetween the fitting protrusion 61 of the upper contact insert component9 and the fixing leg portion 21 of the shell 2. When the press-fittingpieces 91 and 92 are respectively press-fitted into the press-fittingholes 93 and 94 to mount the rear shield 10 to the body formingcomponent 6, the welding piece 95 is received in the gap. Similarly, agap is defined between a right end (end on the direction D6 side) of thebase 31 of the body forming component 6 and the fixing leg portion 22 ofthe shell 2 and between the fitting protrusion 62 of the upper contactinsert component 9 and the fixing leg portion 22 of the shell 2. Whenthe rear shield 10 is mounted to the body forming component 6, thewelding piece 96 is received in the gap.

After the press-fitting pieces 91 and 92 are respectively press-fittedinto the press-fitting holes 93 and 94 to mount the rear shield 10 tothe body forming component 6, the fixing leg portion 21 and the weldingpiece 95 are welded to each other at a welded region 101 illustrated inFIG. 10. Similarly, the fixing leg portion 22 and the welding piece 96are welded to each other at a welded region 102.

The rear shield 10 is fixed to the body forming component 6 in thismanner so that the rear shield 10 retains the upper contact insertcomponent 9 from behind. States of the upper contact insert component 9and the rear shield 10 at this time are described.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the upper contact insert component 9 includesthree protrusions 97 on a back surface thereof. Each of the protrusions97 has, for example, a trapezoid shape. Each of the protrusions 97 isconfigured to support the rear shield 10 as illustrated in FIG. 8 bycoming into contact with the rear shield 10 when the rear shield 10 isfixed to the body forming component 6.

Now, the reason why the protrusions 97 are formed on the back surface ofthe upper contact insert component 9 is as follows.

There is assumed a case where no protrusion 97 is formed and the backsurface of the upper contact insert component 9 is flat. In this case,such a configuration is ideal that the entire back surface of the uppercontact insert component 9 and an entire front surface of the rearshield 10 completely come into contact with each other, in other words,a surface is supported by another surface. However, in actuality, errorssuch as a working error and a positioning error may occur. Thus, it isdifficult for a flat surface and another flat surface to come intocontact with each other, and two flat surfaces come into contact witheach other with inclination. Therefore, the rear shield 10 applies aforce to the upper contact insert component 9 and also to the bodyforming component 6 in a direction shifted from the fitting direction ofthe connector 1. Consequently, such an adverse influence may arise thatthe lower contact group 7 and the upper contact group 8 are misaligned,or that it becomes more difficult to fit the contacts to mating contactsbecause of the inclination of the body forming component 6.

Meanwhile, even when the protrusions 97 are formed on the back surfaceof the upper contact insert component 9, a working error and apositioning error may occur. However, the protrusions 97 that are a partof the upper contact insert component 9 are made of a resin. Thus, theprotrusions 97 are deformed and squashed by the applied force, therebycancelling out the errors.

As described above, according to the connector 1 of the firstembodiment, the upper contact group 8 and the upper contact insertcomponent 9 are formed integrally with each other through insertmolding. With this configuration, misalignment of a part of the uppercontact group 8 is prevented.

Further, as a part of the upper contact insert component 9, a resin isarranged in a region surrounded by the press-fitted portions 52, thebent portions 53, and the leg portions 54 of the upper contact group 8.With this configuration, the upper contact group 8 is prevented frombeing deformed into a Z shape.

Further, the front surface of the upper contact insert component 9 isarranged behind the rear ends 56 of the lower contact group 7 through aslight gap. With this configuration, even when the lower contact group 7is misaligned rearward, the rearward misalignment of the lower contactgroup 7 is minimized.

Further, the upper contact insert component 9 is retained between therear shield 10 and the body forming component 6 through press-fitting ofthe rear shield 10 into the body forming component 6, or through weldingof the rear shield 10 to the shell 2. With this configuration,misalignment of the lower contact group 7 and the upper contact group 8is indirectly prevented.

Further, as is apparent particularly from FIG. 7, the upper contactgroup 8 of the connector 1 has the structure in which a region of eachcontact ranging from the press-fitted portion 52 to the leg portion 54is covered by the body forming component 6 or the resin of the uppercontact insert component 9. That is, a substantially entire portion ofeach contact 50 excluding the contact portion 51 and the terminalportion 55, which are inevitably exposed, is covered by a resin, namely,a dielectric material. A region of the upper contact group 8 exposed tothe air is small. Thus, the upper contact group 8 is covered by thedielectric material having a larger dielectric constant than the air,thereby being capable of reducing impedance.

As described above, according to the connector 1 of this embodiment, theretaining forces for the lower contact group 7 and the upper contactgroup 8 can be increased. Finally, in aid of understanding, theassembled connector 1 is illustrated in FIG. 11 to FIG. 13.

Next, a connector 200 according to a second embodiment of this inventionis described. With reference to FIG. 14, the connector 200 includes ashell 201, ground plates 202 and 203, a middle plate 204, a body formingcomponent 205, a lower contact group 206, an upper contact group 207, anupper contact insert component 208, and a rear shield 209. As isapparent from comparison to FIG. 1, the above-mentioned componentsrespectively correspond to the components of the connector 1 representedby the same terms. In the following description, differences from theconnector 1 are described. The description of the correspondingcomponents of the connector 1 is to be referred as needed.

In the connector 1, the upper contact insert component 9 is formed sothat the contacts 50 are arranged on the same plane at the predeterminedpitches, and that the resin occupies the region of each of the contacts50 surrounded by the press-fitted portion 52, the bent portion 53, andthe leg portion 54.

In contrast, in the connector 200, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the uppercontact insert component 208 is formed so as to cover a straight portionof each of contacts between a press-fitted portion 222 and a bentportion 224, namely, an insert molding portion 223 so that the contactsare arranged on the same plane at predetermined pitches. Similarly tothe connector 1, the upper contact insert component 208 is arranged onthe direction D2 side of rear ends 227 of the lower contact group 206through a slight gap. Therefore, similarly to the connector 1, the uppercontact insert component 208 can exert an effect of preventing the lowercontact group 206 from being misaligned to the direction D2 side.

Further, in the connector 1, the upper contact insert component 9 issupported by the rear shield 10 from the direction D2 side. In contrast,as is apparent from FIG. 15, in the connector 200, the upper contactinsert component 208 is not held in contact with the rear shield 209.

According to the connector 200, similarly to the connector 1, with thestructure simpler than the structure of the connector 1, the uppercontact insert component 208 can integrally retain the upper contactgroup 207, and the upper contact insert component 208 can exert theeffect of preventing rearward misalignment of the lower contact group206.

This invention is described above with reference to some embodiments.However, it is needless to say that various modifications may be made tothis invention as long as the modifications do not depart from the gistof this invention. For example, in the above-mentioned first and secondembodiments, the contacts of the lower contact group 7 or 206 and thecontacts of the upper contact group 8 or 208 are retained at equalpitches. However, this invention is not limited thereto. The contactsmay be retained at different pitches.

This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2014-233685, filed on Nov. 18, 2014, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   1, 200 connector    -   2, 201 shell    -   3, 4, 202, 203 ground plate    -   5, 204 middle plate    -   6, 205 body forming component    -   7, 206 lower contact group    -   8, 207 upper contact group    -   9, 208 upper contact insert component    -   10, 209 rear shield    -   21, 22 fixing leg portion    -   31 base    -   32 terminal support    -   33, 34 plate support    -   35 lower terminal insertion hole    -   36 lower terminal retention groove    -   37 upper terminal insertion hole    -   38 upper terminal retention groove    -   39, 40 fixing portion    -   50 contact    -   51, 221 contact portion    -   52, 222 press-fitted portion    -   53, 224 bent portion    -   54, 225 leg portion    -   55, 226 terminal portion    -   56 227 rear end    -   61, 62 fitting protrusion    -   81, 82 gap    -   91, 92 press-fitting piece    -   93, 94 press-fitting hole    -   95, 96 welding piece    -   97 protrusion    -   101, 102 welded region    -   223 insert molding portion

1. A connector, comprising: an upper contact group comprising aplurality of contacts; a lower contact group comprising a plurality ofcontacts; a body forming component into which the upper contact groupand the lower contact group are press-fitted; and an upper contactinsert component including a dielectric material and being formedintegrally with the upper contact group through insert molding, each ofthe plurality of contacts being arranged in parallel to a fittingdirection of fitting the connector to a mating connector, andcomprising: a contact portion that is to be brought into contact withone of contacts of the mating connector; a press-fitted portion thatextends from the contact portion and is to be press-fitted into the bodyforming component; a terminal portion that is to be connected to aconductor arranged outside the connector; and a bent portion that isbent between the contact portion and the terminal portion in a directionintersecting the fitting direction, the each of the plurality ofcontacts being press-fitted into the body forming component in adirection of removing the mating connector, which is fitted to theconnector in advance, from the connector, the body forming componentsupporting the plurality of contacts of the lower contact group so as toarrange the contact portion of the each of the plurality of contacts ofthe lower contact group on a first plane, and supporting the pluralityof contacts of the upper contact group, so as to arrange the contactportion of the each of the plurality of contacts of the upper contactgroup on a second plane different from the first plane, and the uppercontact insert component being arranged so as to restrain movement ofthe lower contact group in a moving direction of the mating connectortoward the connector when the mating connector and the connector are tobe fitted to each other.
 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein,as seen from the bent portion of the each of the plurality of contactsof the lower contact group, the upper contact insert component isarranged on a forward side of the moving direction of the matingconnector toward the connector when the mating connector and theconnector are to be fitted to each other.
 3. The connector according toclaim 1, wherein the each of the plurality of contacts of the uppercontact group comprises a leg portion extending in the directionintersecting the fitting direction, and wherein at least a part of theupper contact insert component occupies a region surrounded by astraight line formed of the contact portion, the bent portion, and astraight line formed of the leg portion.
 4. The connector according toclaim 1, wherein a gap having a preset size is defined between the uppercontact insert component and the lower contact group.
 5. The connectoraccording to claim 1, wherein the body forming component furthercomprises a middle plate that comprises metal and is formed integrallywith the body forming component through insert molding so as to bearranged between the upper contact group and the lower contact group. 6.The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a rear shieldincluding metal, wherein the body forming component comprises a fixingportion configured to fix the rear shield under a state in which theupper contact insert component is arranged between the rear shield andthe body forming component.
 7. The connector according to claim 6,further comprising a protrusion formed on one surface of the uppercontact insert component on the forward side of the moving direction ofthe mating connector toward the connector when the mating connector andthe connector are to be fitted to each other so as to come into contactwith the rear shield.
 8. The connector according to claim 6, furthercomprising a shell, wherein at least a part of the shell is formed of aconductor, and wherein the shell and the rear shield are welded to eachother.